Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 348 square miles (900 km²), of which 345 square miles (890 km²) is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²) (0.9%) is water.

Topography

The Lehigh Valley, which includes all of Lehigh and Northampton counties, is bounded on the north by Blue Mountain, a ridge of the Appalachian mountain range with an altitude of 1,300 to 1,604 feet (489 m), and on the south by South Mountain, a ridge of 700 to 1,100 feet (340 m) that cuts through the southern portions of the two counties. The highest point in Lehigh County is Bake Oven Knob, a mass of Tuscarora conglomeratic rocks that rise about 100 feet (30 m) above the main ridge of the Blue Mountain in northwestern Heidelberg Township.

Lehigh County is in the Delaware River watershed. While most of the county is drained by the Lehigh River and its tributaries, the Schuylkill River also drains regions in the south of the county via the Perkiomen Creek and the northwest via the Maiden Creek.

Adjacent counties

Berks County (west)

Bucks County (southeast)

Carbon County (north)

Montgomery County (south)

Northampton County (northeast)

Schuylkill County (northwest)

Climate

Most of the county's climate is considered to fall in the humid continental climate zone. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Precipitation is almost uniformly distributed throughout the year.

For the city of Allentown, January lows average −6 °C (21 °F) and highs average 1.3 °C (34.3 °F). The lowest officially recorded temperature was −26.7 °C (−16.1 °F) in 1912 . July lows average 17.6 °C (63.7 °F) and highs average 29.2 °C (84.6 °F), with an average relative humidity (morning) of 82%. The highest temperature on record was 40.6 °C (105.1 °F) in 1966 . Early fall and mid winter are generally driest, with October being the driest month with only 74.7 mm of average precipitation.

Snowfall is variable, with some winters bringing light snow and others bringing numerous significant snowstorms. Average snowfall is 82.3 centimetres (32.4 in) per year, with the months of January and February receiving the highest at just over 22.86 centimetres (9.00 in) each. Rainfall is generally spread throughout the year, with eight to twelve wet days per month, at an average annual rate of 110.54 centimetres (43.52 in).

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the county was 71.6% White Non-Hispanic, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.9% were two or more races, and 8.6% were some other race. 18.8% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

As of the census of 2000, there were 312,090 people, 121,906 households, and 82,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 900 people per square mile (348/km²). There were 128,910 housing units at an average density of 372 per square mile (144/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.02% White, 3.56% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 2.10% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.28% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. 10.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 27.1% were of German, 7.9% Italian, 7.7% Irish, 6.2% Pennsylvania German and 5.6% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 85.0% spoke English, 8.4% Spanish and 1.2% Arabic as their first language.

There were 121,906 households out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.60% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.90% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.60 males.

Politics and government

As of January 2010, there are 223,867 registered voters in Lehigh County:

Democratic: 112,412 (50.21%)

Republican: 76,904 (34.35%)

Other Parties: 34,551 (15.43%)

Lehigh County and neighboring Northampton County are part of Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional district. The 15th Congressional district is a contentious swing district with neither Republicans nor Democrats winning the district consistently. Despite the advantage in Democratic registration in the district, the Democrats in the Lehigh Valley are nowhere near as liberal as their counterparts in the Philadelphia area. Voters elected Republican Charlie Dent in 2004, 2006 and 2008 and, previously, Republican Pat Toomey in 1998, 2000, and 2002. In 2004, the county narrowly voted for John Kerry over George W. Bush for President, and in 2008 the county gave all statewide Democratic candidates significant leads and Barack Obama a victory of more than 15 points over John McCain, 57.1% to 41.5%. In 2012, President Obama carried the county again, but by a narrower margin: 53.17% to 45.52%.

All five statewide winners carried it in November 2004. Although the Republican Party has historically been dominant in county-level politics, the Democratic Party has made substantial inroads this decade. In 2005, Bethlehem Mayor Don Cunningham unseated incumbent County Executive Jane Ervin to become the first Democrat to be elected to the office. Four of the nine commissioner seats and all row offices except for the District Attorney have held by Democrats since winning two at-large seats in November 2007. Lehigh County has a home-rule charter with four at-large and five district commissioners. In 2006 Lehigh County voters approved a county-charter amendment to combine the offices of Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills, and Recorder of Deeds into the office of the Clerk of Judicial Records. Clerk of Courts Andrea Naugle won the new office in November 2007.

United States House of Representatives

Charlie Dent, Republican, Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district

4-year colleges and universities

Cedar Crest College, Allentown

DeSales University, Center Valley

Muhlenberg College, Allentown

Penn State Lehigh Valley, Center Valley

2-year colleges and technical institutes

Baum School of Art, Allentown

Lehigh Carbon Community College – Main Campus, Schnecksville, and Donley Center, Allentown

Lehigh Valley College, Center Valley

Lincoln Technical Institute, Allentown

Public school districts

Allentown School District

William Allen High School, Allentown

Louis E. Dieruff High School, Allentown

Francis D. Raub Middle School

Harrison-Morton Middle School

South Mountain Middle School

Trexler Middle School

Catasauqua Area School District

Catasauqua High School, Northampton

Catasauqua Middle School

East Penn School District

Emmaus High School, Emmaus

Eyer Middle School, Macungie

Lower Macungie Middle School, Macungie

Northern Lehigh School District

Northern Lehigh High School, Slatington

Northern Lehigh Middle School, Slatington

Northwestern Lehigh School District

Northwestern Lehigh High School, New Tripoli

Parkland School District

Parkland High School, South Whitehall Township

Orefield Middle School, Orefield

Springhouse Middle School, Allentown

Salisbury Township School District

Salisbury High School, Salisbury Township

Salisbury Middle School

Southern Lehigh School District

Southern Lehigh High School, Center Valley

Whitehall-Coplay School District

Whitehall High School, Whitehall Township

Whitehall-Coplay Middle School

Public charter schools

Lincoln Leadership Academy Charter School, Allentown

Roberto Clemente Charter School, Allentown

Seven Generations Charter School, Emmaus

Private high schools

Allentown Central Catholic High School, Allentown

Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, Schnecksville

Lehigh Valley Christian High School, Allentown

Salem Christian School, Macungie

Air

Lehigh County's primary airport, Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE, ICAO: KABE), is located three miles (5 km) northeast of Allentown in Hanover Township.

The county is also served by Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport, a two-runway general aviation facility located off of Allentown's Lehigh Street. Queen City is used predominantly by private aviation that was awarded General Aviation Airport of the year by the Eastern Region of the Federal Aviation Administration in 2006.

Bus

Public bus service in Lehigh County is available through the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, known as LANTA. Several private bus lines, including Bieber Tourways, Susquehanna Trailways and Trans-Bridge Lines, provide bus service from Allentown to New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal, Philadelphia's Greyhound Terminal, Atlantic City's Bus Terminal, and other regional locations.

Interstate Highway System

I-78

I-476 / Penna Turnpike NE Extension

U.S. Highway System

US 22

US 222

Pennsylvania Highway System

PA 29

PA 100

PA 143

PA 145

PA 222

PA 309

PA 329

PA 378

PA 863

PA 873

PA 987

Other major roads

Cedar Crest Boulevard

Lehigh Street

Tilghman Street

Media

The Lehigh County is part of the Philadelphia broadcast media market, though numerous New York City radio and television stations also are available in Allentown and its suburbs. Lehigh County-based media include The Morning Call, a daily newspaper in Allentown, and two Allentown-based television stations: WLVT Channel 39 (a PBS affiliate) and WFMZ Channel 69 (an unaffiliated, independent television station).

Television

The four major Philadelphia-based network stations serving Lehigh County include KYW-TV (CBS), WCAU (NBC), WPVI (ABC) and WTXF (Fox). The four major Scranton/Wilkes-Barre-based network stations serving Lehigh County are WNEP-TV (ABC), WBRE-TV (NBC), WYOU (CBS), and WOLF-TV (Fox) The four major New York City-based network stations serving Lehigh County include WABC (ABC), WCBS-TV (CBS), WNBC (NBC), and WNYW (Fox). Lehigh Valley-based television outlets include WFMZ-TV Channel 69 (an Allentown-based independent station), WBPH-TV Channel 60, and WLVT-TV (a Bethlehem-based PBS affiliate).

Print

The primary newspaper for the county is The Morning Call, based in Allentown. The Express-Times, based in Easton, also covers the county.

Radio

Lehigh County-area radio stations include WAEB-AM, a news, talk and sports station (in Allentown), WAEB-FM (known as B104), a Top 40 music station (in Allentown), WZZO, a hard rock music station (in Whitehall Township), and others. Some major New York City stations and every major Philadelphia station also can be heard in the county.

Telecommunications

Lehigh County was once served only by the 215 area code from 1947 (when the North American Numbering Plan of the Bell System went into effect) until 1994. With the county's growing population, however, Lehigh County areas were afforded area code 610 in 1994. Today, Lehigh County is covered by 610. An overlay area code, 484, was added to the 610 service area in 1999. A plan to introduce area code 835 as an additional overlay was rescinded in 2001.

Recreation

Most municipalities in the county have set aside at least some land for public recreation, from neighborhood parks and playgrounds to the more expansive parkways developed by the county, city and several townships. Following are the public parks within the county of more than of 25 acres (100,000 m²), including listings of their primary activities:

Cedar Creek Parkway, Allentown, 127 acres (0.51 km²). City-owned park along Cedar Creek that includes Lake Muhlenberg and Malcolm W. Gross Rose Gardens. Activities: hiking/walking, jogging, basketball, fishing, swimming and picnicking. Mayfair, an annual arts festival, is held in the Parkway each May.

Cedar Creek Parkway East, South Whitehall Township, 37.5 acres (152,000 m²). County-owned park along Cedar Creek that includes Haines Mill Museum. Activities: hiking/walking, soccer, fishing, nature study and picnicking.

Cedar Creek Parkway West, South Whitehall Township, 261 acres (1.06 km²). County-owned park along Cedar Creek. Activities: hiking/walking, jogging, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, basketball, swimming, nature study and picnicking.

Covered Bridge Park, South Whitehall Township, 165 acres (0.67 km²). Township-owned park along Jordan Creek that includes two historic covered bridges. Activities: hiking/walking, jogging, football, soccer fields, volleyball, handball, fishing, disc golf, playground and nature study.

Jordan Creek Parkway, Whitehall & South Whitehall Townships, 296.1 acres (1.198 km²). County-owned park along Jordan Creek. Activities: hiking/walking, jogging, bicycling, softball, baseball, soccer, tennis, fishing, cross country skiing and nature study.

Leaser Lake, Lynn Township, 540.5 acres (2.187 km²). County-owned park (227.6 acres (0.921 km²)) and Pennsylvania Fish Commission-owned (312.9 acres (1.266 km²)) recreation area that includes a 117-acre (0.47 km²) lake. Activities: hiking/walking, fishing, hunting, boating (sail, other non-motor and small electric motor), cross country skiing, ice-skating, nature study and picnicking.

Lehigh Canal Park, Allentown, 55 acres (220,000 m²). City-owned park along the Lehigh River. Activities: hiking/walking, fishing and non-motor boating.

Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, 999 acres (4.04 km²). City-owned park along Little Lehigh Creek that also includes the Lil-Le-Hi Trout Nursery. Activities: hiking/walking, bicycling, fishing, disc golf, nature study and picnicking.

Lock Ridge Park, Alburtis, 59.2 acres (240,000 m²). County-owned park along Swabia Creek that includes the Lock Ridge Furnace Museum. Activities: hiking/walking, baseball, bicycling, fishing, cross country skiing, nature study and picnicking.

Lower Macungie Township Community Park, Lower Macungie township, 56 acres (230,000 m²). Township-owned park along Spring Creek. Activities: hiking/walking, jogging, soccer and picnicking.

Bob Rodale Cycling and Fitness Park, Upper Macungie Township, 103.4 acres (0.418 km²). County-owned bicycle track and fitness area. Activities: Hiking/walking, bicycling, softball, cricket, soccer, basketball, cross country skiing, roller blading, jogging, nature study, playground and picnicking.

South Mountain Big Rock Park, Upper Saucon and Salisbury Townships, 57.1 acres (231,000 m²). County-owned park. Activities: hiking/walking, picnicking and nature study.

Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, 134 acres (0.54 km²). City-owned park along Cedar Creek. Activities: hiking/walking, jogging and nature study.

Trexler Nature Preserve, North Whitehall Township, 1,108 acres (4.48 km²). County-owned park along Jordan Creek, formerly Trexler-Lehigh County Game Preserve, which includes the Lehigh Valley Zoo and is adding 18 miles (29 km) of trails in 2010. Activities: hiking/walking, mountain biking, jogging, fishing, hunting, nature study and picnicking.

Upper Macungie Park, Upper Macungie Township, 156.2 acres (0.632 km²). Township-owned park with nature trail. Activities: hiking/walking, baseball, softball, sand volleyball, horse shoes, playground, jogging, nature study and picnicking.

Whitehall Parkway, Whitehall Township, 110 acres (0.45 km²). Township-owned park connected to the nine-mile (14 km) Ironton Rail-Trail. Activities: hiking/walking, bicycling, jogging and nature study.

Communities

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Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in only one case, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Lehigh County:

Cities

Allentown (county seat)

Bethlehem (mostly in Northampton County)

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Lehigh County.

† county seat

Notable people

Lehigh County is the birthplace of, or home to, several notable Americans, including:

Chuck Bednarik, former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles, and member of Pro Football Hall of Fame

Stephen Vincent Benét, author

Michaela Conlin, stage and television actress, Bones

Charlie Dent, Member of Congress

H.D., writer

Peter Gruner, professional wrestler

Lee Iacocca, former chairman of Chrysler Corporation

Keith Jarrett, jazz musician

Michael Johns, health care executive and former White House speechwriter

Carson Kressley, fashion consultant on Bravo's Queer Eye

Rose Lambert, American missionary and witness of the Adana massacre

Varvara Lepchenko, professional tennis player

Matt Millen, former professional football player, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins, and former President and General Manager, Detroit Lions

Andre Reed, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins

Amanda Seyfried, model and actress, The CW's Veronica Mars and HBO's Big Love

Curt Simmons, former professional baseball player, California Angels, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals

Dana Snyder, voice actor, Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Albert Solliday, Wisconsin State Senator

Christine Taylor, actress and wife of actor Ben Stiller

Lauren Weisberger, author of The Devil Wears Prada